The Northerlies continue but Rannoch's are here

Orchids
The weather here has been quite amazing for June, we've had a howling Northerly/Easterly for the past 7 days now which is making it feel more like April than June! Moaning aside there are still things to look at in the area, the orchids in Stonelees for example are well worth a visit, with Bee, C. Twayblade, Southern Marsh, Common Spotted, and Pyramidal Orchids all on show, with Lizard orchid on the country park. Also pictured (bottom left) is quite an amazing orchid- check out the leaves on that, very wide and spotted, I'm guessing it must be a hybrid but where it got the genes for those leaves is anyone's guess?!
Click on images to enlarge them, and comments on the broad leaved plant most welcome!



Moths
The wind has meant that the moths have not been flying in the numbers that they should be for the time of the year, however there are migrants out there to be had.
I had my first ever Rannoch Looper on Thursday morning around the toilet block at Pegwell CP, which made opening up a little more interesting than normal. I then had another one that evening flying around the trap when I got back from the pub. I have later heard that just about everyone in the area has now had at least one, so there seems to be a large influx. This morning other migrants included silver Y and dark sword grass as well as small numbers of diamond backs.
New species since last update include;
Green Oak tortrix
Lime speck pug
1361Pyrausta autala
Scallop shell
Spectacle
Double lobed
Dingy shell
Rannoch Looper Dusky brocade Crambus perlella (sp Warringtonellus)

A bit of bird news!!!
I had 2 Arctic terns flying over the Hoverpad on Wednesday, a very odd sighting of 2 flying inland during a lightning storm, odd is the timing, they are very late, or perhaps early/failed breeders moving already? Definitely Arctic's though, apart from looking like them they were also calling very much like them which was useful.

I had the trap out in the garden on 10th and 12th and despite being fairly cool and breezy a further 19 species have been added to the list, I have even managed a few completely new for me too which is nice.

Turnip Moth....................Dark Arches
1356 Garden Pebble.......Small Yellow Wave
1398Rush Veneer...........Straw Dot
1293 Garden Grass Veneer......Coronet
Light Brocade.............Middle Barred Minor
819Scrobipalpa costella.....4 Dotted Footman
Pale Oak Beauty............Mottled Rustic
Elephant Hawkmoth......Haworths Pug
Yellow Shell....................Latticed Heath.
1375European Corn Borer

Also worth a mention is the rarer form of Clouded Bordered Brindle race Combusta which I had this morning, see photo below, really odd looking but I think that is what it is.

Light Brocade, CBBrindle-Combusta, Haworth's Pug
4 Dotted Footman, Eu Corn Borer,
Scrob costella (finally an easy scroby!)
and Garden grass Veneer.

Firstly I probably should have titled the blog 'Bens [winter] birding [and summer mothing] blog! the birds have gone fairly quiet but moths are beginning to get good.

I took the MV to reserve X on Sat night and managed to catch 142 moths of 41 species in just 2 hrs, other than that I have been trapping in my garden which has been quite productive.

I have managed to get up to 140 species for the year now with the following moths added recently;
Those in Bold are new for me, I was particularly pleased with the scarce chocolate tip today! I also had a pyralid which is Phyctaenia perlucidalis another new one which seems to be quite local.

Waved Umbar.......... 1082 Plum Tortrix
Flame shoulder......... Mottled Pug
Ringed china mark.... Ghost Moth
Chilo phragmitella .....1458 Thistle Ermine
Common Marbled carpet
Ringed china mark...... Chinese Character
246 Tinea semifulvella.... 148 Nemophora degeerella
Burnished Brass......... Light Emerald
Tawny marbled minor..... Poplar grey
247 Tinea trinotella...... Pretty chalk carpet
Yellow barred brindle...... Scarce chocolate tip
Brimstone....... Iron prom
Cream bordered green pea
Scorched wing....... Flame
Large Yellow Underwing....... Snout
Small Elephant Hawkmoth
Small square spot......... Mottled Rustic
Obscure Wainscot

I am getting roughly 100 moths of 40-50 species in the garden mv at the moment and adding 5-10 species each time the light goes on so more of the same would be good.


Photos show scarce choc tip, thistle ermine, obscure wainscot, tinea trinotella, (Phyctaenia perlucidalis?) and yellow barred brindle

It didnt work!

Moth tapping last night at Reserve X produced a few new species for me, I put the MV out from 9.30 to midnight and got 30 species, 7 of which were new for the year.
Early this morning I went to the Obs to have a look around the gullies, unfortunately enthusiasm soon disappeared as it was pretty much dead. A couple of Whitethroats and a Blackcap was all I managed as far as migrants go.
Still, things seem to be moving so a morning look at Pegwell may turn something up. I am forever the optimist!

1458- Thistle Ermine

Not much going on here

I thought I'd try to will some birds out of hiding by giving this post the above title, an old colleague said the same thing a couple of days ago and today they had 5 Black winged stilts and a gull billed tern on the reserve! So naff all down here at the moment, however, it is very cloudy outside now and due to stay above 15 degrees all night so the moth trap should be good tonight AND its due to rain in the early hours of the morning so I will most certainly be out and about early in the morning to find any grounded migrants on offer, it is early June and it has already thrown up some megas throughout the UK, to be honest I'd be over the moon with an Icterine warbler, seems as if I am destined to continue missing this species!
I have had a few nice moths in the garden trap throughout the week and am now up to 111 species for the year, a steady climb and something new every time I have trapped, which is nice.

Below is a rather good looking Mullein, a 2nd for me.